Auto Theft Prevention

Lock it & Pocket the Key!

Auto Theft Investigations show that the overwhelming majority of vehicles stolen in Saint John are taken because the owner left a spare key within the vehicle. These keys are often discovered during what Police refer to as “carprowls”.

Criminals scan parked vehicles looking for:

If they see anything that catches their eye, the car is targeted & searched. This is when the ‘hidden’ key is discovered & the theft takes place. These offences generally take place during the darkened hours & by the time the theft has been discovered, the vehicle has generally been abandoned, quite often it is damaged maliciously.

Auto Theft Investigators know that 90% of vehicle thefts in Saint John occur in this fashion. This is an entirely preventable situation if vehicle owners would Lock it & Pocket the key!

The Saint John Police Force Stolen Auto Unit & the Community Services Unit teamed up early in 2011 to address this problem & commenced an on-going crime reduction strategy aimed at reducing the number of vehicles stolen because of spare keys left inside.

Community Police Officers & Auxiliary Police Officers physically roamed city streets in hot-spot areas & attached report cards to parked vehicles warning owners about bad habits observed by the Officers. Neon billboard warnings were placed in high crime areas & presentations were made to community groups as well as insurance companies.

The Lock it & Pocket the Key program has been well received by the community, supported by the media & partners such as shopping malls who have posted signs warning people to remove valuables & lock their cars.

The program has achieved a high degree of cooperation & success. The proof of which has been a reduction in car thefts for 2011 of over 60%!

Recently, the Lock it & Pocket the Key program received a commendation from the Province of New Brunswick Department of Public Safety in recognition of its contribution to a reduction in crime.

How can you help prevent/stop Auto Theft?

Always remember to “Lock it & Pocket the key.”

Call 648-3333 if you see people you suspect are committing “carprowls”.

If you have any information concerning stolen vehicles including ATV’s, call the Stolen Auto Unit at any of our contact points, including Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).